U.S. patent application number 10/819089 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-27 for methods for conditional servowriting.
This patent application is currently assigned to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Ehrlich, Richard M..
Application Number | 20050237649 10/819089 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35136126 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050237649 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ehrlich, Richard M. |
October 27, 2005 |
Methods for conditional servowriting
Abstract
To account for head misplacement while servowriting, conditional
writing and/or trimming of servo information can be used.
Conditional servowriting allows servowriting to be disabled when it
is determined that servo information will not be written and/or
trimmed at a desired location or within a threshold distance of a
desired location. For example, if a distance between a write
element or a predicted location of servo information and a desired
location of the servo information or write element exceeds a
threshold, writing and/or trimming can be inhibited. Servowriting
can be resumed when it is determined that servo information will be
written or trimmed at a desired location or within a threshold
distance of a desired location. A servowriting step or pass is not
re-started when the threshold is exceeded and those wedges for
which servo information was not writtten and/or trimmed can be
attempted during subsequent revolutions of the rotatable storage
medium.
Inventors: |
Ehrlich, Richard M.;
(Saratoga, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FLIESLER MEYER, LLP
FOUR EMBARCADERO CENTER
SUITE 400
SAN FRANCISCO
CA
94111
US
|
Assignee: |
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,
Ltd.
Osaka
JP
|
Family ID: |
35136126 |
Appl. No.: |
10/819089 |
Filed: |
April 6, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10819089 |
Apr 6, 2004 |
|
|
|
10624265 |
Jul 22, 2003 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
360/60 ; 360/75;
360/77.02; G9B/5.222 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 5/59633 20130101;
G11B 5/59638 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
360/060 ;
360/075; 360/077.02 |
International
Class: |
G11B 019/04; G11B
021/02; G11B 005/596 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of writing a track of servo information to a rotatable
storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges, comprising:
determining whether a location of a write element is within a
threshold distance of a desired location; inhibiting writing of
servo information to the track by the write element when the
location of the write element is not within the threshold distance;
and resuming writing of servo information to the track after the
location of the write element is determined to be within the
threshold distance.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a location of
a write element is within a threshold distance of a desired
location includes determining whether a location of a write element
is within a threshold distance of a desired write location.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: writing to memory an
indication that writing of servo information was inhibited when the
location of the write element is not within the threshold
distance.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: writing to memory an
indication of servo information that was written to the track.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein writing of servo information
includes at least one of writing servo information and trimming
servo information.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein writing to memory comprises
writing to memory an indication of servo wedges for which writing
of servo information was inhibited.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a location of
a write element is within a threshold distance of a desired
location includes determining whether a location of a write element
is within a threshold distance of a desired location using a
position error signal generated from a reference track.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: attempting to write
servo information for which writing was inhibited during a
subsequent revolution of the rotatable storage medium.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein attempting to write servo
information comprises attempting to write the servo information
without re-writing any previously written servo information.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a location
of a write element is within a threshold distance of a desired
location comprises determining whether an actual location of the
write element is within the threshold distance of the desired
location.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a location
of a write element is within a threshold distance of a desired
location comprises determining whether a predicted location of the
write element is within the threshold distance of the desired
location.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: increasing the
threshold distance when the track of servo information is not
written after a number of revolutions of the rotatable storage
medium.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the threshold distance is
increased by an amount determined from a position error of the
write element.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining the
number of revolutions using a characteristic of the track.
15. The method of claim 1, further comprising: writing servo
information to the track unconditionally after a number of
revolutions of the rotatable storage medium.
16. A method of writing a target track of servo information to a
rotatable storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges,
comprising: determining a position error signal generated as a head
reads reference track servo information; inhibiting writing of
servo information to the target track when a value of the position
error signal exceeds a threshold value; determining at least a
second value of the position error signal when writing is
inhibited, wherein writing can be resumed for the target track
after the second value is within the threshold value.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the reference track servo
information is located on the rotatable storage medium.
18. A method of writing a track of servo information to a rotatable
storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges, comprising:
determining a first distance between a first location of a write
element and a first desired write location; and inhibiting writing
of servo information for the track when the first distance exceeds
a threshold distance; wherein at least a second distance between a
second location of the write element and a second desired write
location is determined when writing is inhibited, whereby writing
can be resumed for the track when the second distance is within the
threshold distance.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein writing can be resumed without
re-writing any previously written servo information for the
track.
20. A method of servowriting a rotatable storage medium having a
plurality of servo wedges, comprising: determining a distance
between a desired location of servo information for each of the
servo wedges and a location of a write element adapted to write the
servo information; determining whether the distance is greater than
a threshold distance; and inhibiting writing of the servo
information for each of the servo wedges for which the distance is
greater than the threshold distance.
21. The method of claim 20, further comprising writing the servo
information for each of the servo wedges for which the distance is
not greater than the threshold distance.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein inhibiting writing of the servo
information comprises inhibiting writing of the servo information
to be written in a servowriting pass for each of the servo wedges
for which the distance is greater than the threshold distance.
23. The method of claim 20, wherein determining a distance
comprises determining a distance between a desired location of
servo information for each of the servo wedges and a predicted
location of a write element
24. The method of claim 20, further comprising: attempting to write
the servo information for each of the servo wedges for which the
distance is greater than the threshold distance during a subsequent
revolution of the rotatable storage medium.
25. A method of servowriting a rotatable storage medium having a
plurality of servo wedges, comprising for each of the servo wedges:
determining a distance between a desired location of servo
information to be written for the servo wedge and a location of a
write element adapted to write the servo information; determining
whether the distance is greater than a threshold distance; and
inhibiting writing of the servo information for the servo wedge
when the distance is greater than the threshold distance.
26. A method of servowriting a track of a rotatable storage medium
having a plurality of servo wedges, comprising: determining a
distance between a desired location of servo information for each
of the servo wedges at the track and a location of a write element
adapted to write the servo information; determining whether the
distance is greater than a threshold distance; and inhibiting
writing of the servo information for each of the servo wedges at
the track for which the distance is greater than the threshold
distance.
27. A method of servowriting a track of a rotatable storage medium
having a plurality of servo wedges, comprising for each of the
servo wedges: determining a distance between a desired location of
servo information to be written for the servo wedge at the track
and a location of a write element adapted to write the servo
information; determining whether the distance is greater than a
threshold distance; and inhibiting writing of the servo information
to the servo wedge at the track when the distance is greater than
the threshold distance.
28. A method of performing a servowriting pass for a rotatable
storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges, comprising:
determining a distance between a desired location of servo
information to be written during the servowriting pass for each of
the servo wedges and a location of a write element adapted to write
the servo information; determining whether the distance is greater
than a threshold distance; and inhibiting writing of the servo
information to be written during the servowriting pass for each of
the servo wedges for which the distance is greater than the
threshold distance.
29. The method of claim 28, further comprising: attempting to write
the servo information to be written during the servowriting pass
for each of the servo wedges for which writing was inhibited during
a subsequent revolution of the rotatable storage medium during the
servowriting pass.
30. A method of performing a servowriting pass for a rotatable
storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges, comprising for
each of the servo wedges: determining a distance between a desired
location of servo information to be written for the servo wedge
during the servowriting pass and a location of a write element
adapted to write the servo information; determining whether the
distance is greater than a threshold distance; and inhibiting
writing of the servo information to be written for the servo wedge
during the servowriting pass when the distance is greater than the
threshold distance.
31. The method of claim 30, further comprising: attempting to write
the servo information to be written for the servo wedge during the
servowriting pass during a subsequent revolution of the rotatable
storage medium during the servowriting pass when the distance is
greater than the threshold distance.
32. A method of performing a servowriting pass for a rotatable
storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges, comprising:
determining a first distance between a first location of a write
element and a first desired write location; inhibiting the writing
of servo information to be written to the first desired location
and determining a second distance between a second location of the
write element and a second desired write location in an attempt to
write servo information to the second desired write location when
the first distance is greater than a threshold distance.
33. A method of performing a servowriting pass for a rotatable
storage medium having multiple servo wedges, comprising:
determining a location of a write element relative to a desired
write location for each of the servo wedges encountered during the
servowriting pass; and writing servo information for each of the
servo wedges for which the location of the write element is within
a threshold distance of the desired write location.
34. The method of claim 33, comprising: inhibiting writing servo
information for each of the servo wedges for which the location of
the write element is not within the threshold distance of the
desired write location.
35. A method of servowriting a track of servo information to a
rotatable storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges,
comprising: determining a position-error of a write element;
determining a direction of the position-error; when the direction
of the position-error is in a direction of servowriting
propagation: determining whether the position-error is within a
first threshold; inhibiting writing of servo information to the
track by the write element when the position-error is not within
the first threshold; resuming writing of servo information to the
track after the position-error is determined to be within the first
threshold; when the direction of the position-error is in a
direction opposite to servowriting propagation: determining whether
the position-error is within a second threshold; inhibiting writing
of servo information to the track by the write element when the
position-error is not within the second threshold; and resuming
writing of servo information to the track after the position-error
is determined to be within the second threshold.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first threshold is smaller
than the second threshold.
37. A method of servowriting a track of servo information to a
rotatable storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges,
comprising: determining a distance between a desired location of
servo information for each of the servo wedges and a location of a
write element adapted to write the servo information; writing and
trimming servo information for each of the servo wedges for which
the distance is less than a first threshold distance; writing or
trimming servo information for each of the servo wedges for which
the distance is greater than the first threshold distance and less
than a second threshold distance; inhibiting writing and trimming
of servo information for each of the servo wedges for which the
distance is greater than the second threshold distance.
38. A method of servowriting a track of servo information to a
rotatable storage medium having a plurality of servo wedges,
comprising: determining a distance between a desired location of
servo information for each of the servo wedges and a location of a
write element adapted to write the servo information; writing and
trimming servo information using write current variation for each
of the servo wedges for which the distance is less than a first
threshold distance; writing or trimming servo information for each
of the servo wedges for which the distance is greater than the
first threshold distance and less than a second threshold distance;
inhibiting writing and trimming of servo information for each of
the servo wedges for which the distance is greater than the second
threshold distance.
39. The method of claim 38, wherein writing and trimming servo
information using write current variation includes: adjusting the
size of servo information written and trimmed by the write element
such that at least one edge of the servo information is in the
desired location when written and trimmed.
40. The method of claim 39, wherein adjusting the size of servo
information written and trimmed by the write element is
accomplished by adjusting a write current supplied to the write
element when writing and trimming the servo information.
Description
CLAIM TO PRIORITY
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/624,265, filed Jul. 22, 2003, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] The following applications are cross-referenced and
incorporated herein by reference:
[0003] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/624,252 entitled
"Systems For Conditional Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich,
filed Jul. 22, 2003 (Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01075US0);
[0004] U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/489,195 entitled
"Systems and Methods for WORF Improvement In Conditional
Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Jul. 22, 2003 (Attorney
Docket No. PANAP-01075US2).
[0005] U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/489,025 entitled
"Systems and Methods for WORF Improvement After Multiple
Revolutions in Conditional Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich,
filed Jul. 22, 2003 (Attorney Docket No. PANA-01075US3).
[0006] U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/532,472 entitled "System
for Adjusting Thresholds in Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich,
filed Dec. 24, 2003 (Attorney Docket No. PANA-01075US4).
[0007] U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/532,698 entitled "Method
for Adjusting Thresholds in Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich,
filed Dec. 24, 2003 (Attorney Docket No. PANA-01075US5).
[0008] U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/436,712 entitled
"Systems for Self-Servowriting Using Write-Current Variation," by
Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Dec. 27, 2002 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01018US0).
[0009] U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/436,703 entitled
"Methods for Self-Servowriting Using Write-Current Variation," by
Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Dec. 27, 2002 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01018US1).
[0010] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/420,076 entitled
"Systems for Self-Servowriting Using Write-Current Variation," by
Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. 22, 2003 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01018US2).
[0011] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/420,498 entitled
"Methods for Self-Servowriting Using Write-Current Variation," by
Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. 22, 2003 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01018US3).
[0012] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Systems
for Self-Servowriting Using Write-Current Variation," by Richard M.
Ehrlich, filed Apr. __, 2004 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01018USA).
[0013] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Methods
for Self-Servowriting Using Write-Current Variation, " by Richard
M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. __, 2004 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01018USB).
[0014] U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/436,709 entitled
"Systems for Multi-Pass Self-Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich,
filed Dec. 27, 2002 (Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01017US0).
[0015] U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/436,743 entitled
"Methods for Multi-Pass Self-Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich,
filed Dec. 27, 2002 (Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01017US1).
[0016] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/420,452 entitled
"Systems for Self-Servowriting With Multiple Passes Per
Servowriting Step," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. 22, 2003
(Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01017US2).
[0017] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/420,127 entitled
"Methods for Self-Servowriting With Multiple Passes Per
Servowriting Step," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. 22, 2003
(Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01017US3).
[0018] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Systems
for Self-Servowriting With Multiple Passes Per Servowriting Step,"
by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. __, 2004 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01017USA).
[0019] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Methods
for Self-Servowriting With Multiple Passes Per Servowriting Step,"
by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. __, 2004 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01017USB).
[0020] U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/437,111 entitled
"Systems for WORF Improvement," by Thorsten Schmidt, filed Dec. 30,
2002 (Attorney Docket No.: PANAP-01022US0).
[0021] U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/437,108 entitled
"Methods for WORF Improvement," by Thorsten Schmidt, filed Dec. 30,
2002 (Attorney Docket No.: PANAP-01022US1).
[0022] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/621,068 entitled "
Systems for WORF Improvement," by Thorsten Schmidt, filed Jul. 16,
2003 (Attorney Docket No.: PANAP-01022US2).
[0023] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/620,679 entitled
"Methods for WORF Improvement," by Thorsten Schmidt, filed Jul. 16,
2003 (Attorney Docket No.: PANAP-01022US3).
[0024] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Systems
for WORF Improvement," by Thorsten Schmidt, filed Apr. __, 2004
(Attorney Docket No.: PANAP-01022USA).
[0025] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Methods
for WORF Improvement," by Thorsten Schmidt, filed Apr. __, 2004
(Attorney Docket No.: PANAP-01022USB).
[0026] U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/436,673 entitled
"Systems for Selective Multi-Pass Servowriting and
Self-Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Dec. 27, 2002
(Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01068US0).
[0027] U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/436,740 entitled
"Methods for Selective Multi-Pass Servowriting and
Self-Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Dec. 27, 2002
(Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01068US1).
[0028] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/622,233 entitled
"Systems for Selective Multi-Pass Servowriting and
Self-Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Jul. 18, 2003
(Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01068US2).
[0029] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/622,215 entitled
"Methods for Selective Multi-Pass Servowriting and
Self-Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Jul. 18, 2003
(Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01068US3).
[0030] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/630,218 entitled
"Systems for Variable Multi-Pass Servowriting and
Self-Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Jul. 30, 2003
(Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01068US4).
[0031] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/630,522 entitled
"Methods for Variable Multi-Pass Servowriting and
Self-Servowriting," by Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Jul. 30, 2003
(Attorney Docket No. PANAP-01068US5).
[0032] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Systems
for Selective Multi-Pass Servowriting and Self-Servowriting," by
Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. __, 2004 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01068USA).
[0033] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Methods
for Selective Multi-Pass Servowriting and Self-Servowriting," by
Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. __, 2004 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01068USB).
[0034] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Systems
for Variable Multi-Pass Servowriting and Self-Servowriting," by
Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. __, 2004 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01068USC).
[0035] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______ entitled "Methods
for Variable Multi-Pass Servowriting and Self-Servowriting," by
Richard M. Ehrlich, filed Apr. __, 2004 (Attorney Docket No.
PANAP-01068USD).
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0036] The present invention relates to servowriting processes,
systems, and devices.
BACKGROUND
[0037] Advances in data storage technology have provided for
ever-increasing storage capability in devices such as DVD-ROMs,
optical drives, and disk drives. In hard disk drives, for example,
the width of a written data track has decreased due in part to
advances in reading, writing, and positioning technologies. More
narrow data tracks result in higher density drives, which is good
for the consumer but creates new challenges for drive
manufacturers. As the density of the data increases, the tolerance
for error in the position of a drive component such as a read/write
head decreases. As the position of such a head relative to a data
track becomes more important, so too does the placement of
information, such as servo data, that is used to determine the
position of a head relative to a data track.
[0038] In existing servowriting techniques, servowriting passes or
steps can be stopped and restarted because of a detected
displacement while servowriting. Previously written servo
information before the displacement during the step or pass may be
written again or erased and then written again. While writing a
track of servo information, manufacturers may restart writing the
track each time the head is out of position. Much time can be spent
restarting operations until the head is an acceptable position
while writing an entire track.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0039] Systems and methods in accordance with the present invention
take advantage of conditional writing and trimming techniques used
in servowriting and self-servowriting. Conditional servowriting
techniques allow servowriting to be disabled when it is determined
that servo information will not be written and/or trimmed at a
desired location or within a threshold distance of a desired
location. In some embodiments, servowriting can be inhibited when a
distance between a predicted location of servo information and a
desired location of servo information is greater than a threshold
distance. In other embodiments, a position of a head or write
element can be used to determine whether to servowrite.
Servowriting can be resumed it is determined that servo information
will be written or trimmed at a desired location or within a
threshold distance of a desired location.
[0040] In one embodiment, servowriting can be performed on a wedge
by wedge basis during a servowriting pass or step. Servowriting can
be disabled or inhibited for servo wedges for which it is
determined that servo information will not be written and/or
trimmed at a desired location or within a threshold distance of a
desired location. Servo information can be written and/or trimmed
for those servo wedges for which the servo information will be or
is predicted to be in an acceptable location.
[0041] In one embodiment, servowriting can be performed without
re-writing previously written servo information. During a pass or
step, servo information can be written when its location will be
acceptable and not written when it is not.
[0042] In some embodiments, information indicating servowriting
progress can be cached. For example, an indication of servo wedges
for which servo information has been written and/or not written can
be cached.
[0043] Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be
obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing components of a disk drive that
can be used in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention.
[0045] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data and servo
format for a disk in the drive of FIG. 1.
[0046] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing servo information that can be
written to the tracks shown in FIG. 2.
[0047] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing displacement of servo bursts
that can be written to the tracks shown in FIG. 2.
[0048] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention for writing and/or
trimming servo information during a revolution of a rotatable
storage medium during a servowriting pass.
[0049] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention for performing a
servowriting pass.
[0050] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention for performing a
servowriting pass, wherein servo information is written and/or
trimmed unconditionally on a last revolution of the pass.
[0051] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention for performing a
servowriting pass, wherein a threshold(s) is increased after some
revolutions.
[0052] FIG. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary servo-burst pattern
being written over a progression of servowriting steps in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0053] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method that can be
used to write the servo-burst pattern of FIG. 9 in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention.
[0054] FIG. 11 is a diagram of an exemplary servo-burst pattern
being written over a progression of servowriting passes that can
benefit from embodiments in accordance with the present
invention.
[0055] FIG. 12 is a diagram of an exemplary servo-burst pattern
being written over a progression of servowriting passes that can
benefit from embodiments in accordance with the present
invention.
[0056] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention for performing a
revolution of a servowriting pass.
[0057] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating servo bursts written in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention using
write-current variation.
[0058] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention for performing a
revolution of a servowriting pass.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0059] Systems and methods in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention can be used when servowriting, or
self-servowriting, a rotatable storage medium in a data storage
device, such as a hard disk drive. For example, a typical disk
drive 100, as shown in FIG. 1, includes at least one magnetic disk
102 capable of storing information on at least one of the surfaces
of the disk. A closed-loop servo system can be used to move an
actuator arm 106 and data head 104 over the surface of the disk,
such that information can be written to, and read from, the surface
of the disk. The closed-loop servo system can contain, for example,
a voice coil motor driver 108 to drive current through a voice coil
motor (not shown) in order to drive the actuator arm, a spindle
motor driver 112 to drive current through a spindle motor (not
shown) in order to rotate the disk(s), a microprocessor 120 to
control the motors, and a disk controller 118 to transfer
information between the microprocessor, buffer, read channel, and a
host 122. A host can be any device, apparatus, or system capable of
utilizing the data storage device, such as a personal computer or
Web server. The drive can contain at least one processor, or
microprocessor 120, that can process information for the disk
controller 118, read/write channel 114, VCM driver 108, or spindle
driver 112. The microprocessor can also include a servo controller,
which can exist as an algorithm resident in the microprocessor 120.
The disk controller 118, which can store information in buffer
memory 110 resident in the drive, can also provide user data to a
read/write channel 114, which can send data signals to a current
amplifier or preamp 116 to be written to the disk(s) 102, and can
send servo and/or user data signals back to the disk controller
118.
[0060] The information stored on such a disk can be written in
concentric tracks, extending from near the inner diameter of the
disk to near the outer diameter of the disk 200, as shown in the
example disk of FIG. 2. In an embedded servo-type system, servo
information can be written in servo wedges 202, and can be recorded
on tracks 204 that can also contain data. In a system where the
actuator arm rotates about a pivot point such as a bearing, the
servo wedges may not extend linearly from the inner diameter (ID)
of the disk to the outer diameter (OD), but may be curved slightly
in order to adjust for the trajectory of the head as it sweeps
across the disk.
[0061] The servo information often includes bursts of transitions
or boundaries called "servo bursts." A boundary or burst boundary
as used herein does not mean or imply that servo bursts forming a
boundary necessarily have a substantially common edge as the bursts
can be spaced such that there is a gap radially or
circumferentially between the bursts. The servo information can be
positioned regularly about each track, such that when a data head
reads the servo information, a relative position of the head can be
determined that can be used by a servo processor to adjust the
position of the head relative to the track. For each servo wedge,
this relative position can be determined in one example as a
function of the target location, a track number read from the servo
wedge, and the amplitudes or phases of the bursts, or a subset of
those bursts. The position of a head or element, such as a
read/write head or element, relative to a target or desired
location such as the center of a track or other desired location,
will be referred to herein as position-error. Position-error
distance may be used to refer to the distance between a target or
desired location and an actual or predicted location of a head or
element. The signal generated as a head or element moves across
servo bursts or boundaries between servo bursts is often referred
to as a position-error signal (PES). The PES can be used to
represent a position of the head or element relative to a target
location such as a track centerline defined by a boundary between
servo bursts.
[0062] A centerline 300 for a given data track can be "defined"
relative to a series of bursts, burst edges, or burst boundaries,
such as a burst boundary defined by the lower edge of A-burst 302
and the upper edge of B-burst 304 in FIG. 3. The centerline can
also be defined by, or offset relative to, any function or
combination of bursts or burst patterns. This can include, for
example, a location at which the PES value is a maximum, a minimum,
or a fraction or percentage thereof. Any location relative to a
function of the bursts can be selected to define track position.
For example, if a read head evenly straddles an A-burst and a
B-burst, or portions thereof, then servo demodulation circuitry in
communication with the head can produce equal amplitude
measurements for the two bursts, as the portion of the signal
coming from the A-burst above the centerline is approximately equal
in amplitude to the portion coming from the B-burst below the
centerline. The resulting computed PES can be zero and represent a
position at track center if the radial location defined by the
A-burst/B-burst (A/B) combination, or A/B boundary, is the center
of a data track, or a track centerline. In such an embodiment, the
radial location at which the PES value is zero can be referred to
as a null-point. Null-points can be used in each servo wedge to
define a relative position of a track. If the head is too far
towards the outer diameter of the disk, or above the centerline in
FIG. 3, then there will be a greater contribution from the A-burst
that results in a more "negative" PES. Using the negative PES, the
servo controller could direct the voice coil motor to move the head
toward the inner diameter of the disk and closer to its desired
position relative to the centerline. This can be done for each set
of burst edges defining the shape of that track about the disk.
[0063] The servo scheme described above is one of many possible
schemes for combining the track number read from a servo wedge and
the phases or amplitudes of the servo bursts. Many other schemes
are possible that can benefit from embodiments in accordance with
the present invention.
[0064] A problem that exists in the reading and writing of servo
patterns involves the misplacement, or offset, of a read/write head
with respect to the ideal and/or actual position of a track. It is
impossible to perfectly position a head with respect to a track for
each rotation of a disk, as there is almost always a noticeable
offset between the desired position and the actual position of the
head with respect to the disk. This can cause problems when writing
servo patterns, as each portion of the pattern can be slightly
misplaced. This can lead to what is referred to as written-in
runout. Written-in runout can be thought of as the offset between
the "actual" centerline, or desired radial center, of a track and
the centerline that would be determined by a head reading the
written servo pattern. Written-in runout can lead to servo
performance problems, wasted space on a disk and, in a worst case,
unrecoverable or irreparably damaged data.
[0065] Systems and methods in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention overcome deficiencies in prior art servowriting
and self-servowriting systems by taking advantage of conditional
methods for performing servowriting operations. For example, the
non-repeatable runout (NRRO) suffered by a read/write (R/W) head
during self-servowriting operations can be written into the servo
bursts. The written-in runout of a self-servowritten pattern can be
reduced by writing and/or trimming servo information, including
servo bursts, conditionally upon a location of the head or
write-element during servowriting. As used herein and as understood
by those of ordinary skill in the art, servowriting can include
writing servo information, trimming servo information, or writing
and trimming servo information. In a given servowriting pass, servo
information can be written, trimmed, or written and trimmed.
Reference to writing servo information herein can include writing,
trimming, or writing and trimming as writing and trimming are
similar operations that can be performed by or according to the
systems and methods of the present invention.
[0066] It will be understood that various self-servowriting
techniques can benefit from embodiments in accordance with the
present invention. One such self-servowriting technique is often
referred to as "replication" self-servowriting. In replication
self-servowriting, a media-writer can be used to write servo
information on a stack of disks. Each disk can then be placed in a
separate drive having multiple blank disks, such that the drive can
use the patterned disk as a reference to re-write servo patterns on
all of the other disk surfaces in the drive, as well as writing a
servo pattern on the patterned surface, if desired.
[0067] Another class of self-servowriting techniques is known as
"propagation" self-servowriting. Techniques in this class differ
from those in the replication class in the fact that the wedges
used by the drive at one point in the process are later used as
reference wedges for other tracks. These schemes are thus
"self-propagating." Typically, such techniques require a R/W head
that has a large radial offset between the read and write elements,
so that the drive can servo with the read element over
previously-written servo wedges while the write element is writing
new servo wedges. In one such application, a servowriter is used
for a short time to write a small "guide" pattern on a disk that is
already assembled in a drive. The drive then propagates the pattern
across the disk. In this type of self-servowriting operation,
previously written tracks can later serve as reference tracks.
[0068] As shown in FIG. 3, the radial position of a track
centerline 300 can be defined by the "lower" edge of one burst 302
and the "upper" edge of a corresponding burst 304 in a differential
pair. Here, the "lower" edge can refer to the edge of the burst
nearest the inner diameter (ID) of a disk, while the "upper" edge
can refer to the edge nearest the outer diameter (OD) of the disk.
The position of a center of a track can be determined by examining
the boundary between these edges. Embodiments in accordance with
the present invention can allow the track defined by such burst
edges to have reduced written-in runout using conditional servo
information writing and trimming methods. FIG. 3 illustrates
exemplary servo information. Other servo patterns, including for
example, additional bits to denote track number are considered
within the scope of the present invention.
[0069] At each track to be servowritten, it can be desirable to
remove the synchronous runout of the reference pattern as much as
possible. Several techniques exist for removing synchronous runout
that are known to those skilled in the art. After substantially
removing the synchronous runout, each head should be following
substantially circular tracks on the respective disks. The
remaining runout of each head should then be dominated by
non-synchronous runout suffered by the reference head, or the head
observing the reference surface, from which the position of the
head-stack is controlled. The head stack assembly (HSA) typically
refers to the combination of the actuator, voice coil motor (VCM),
E-block (arms of the actuator), suspensions, and heads. The HSA is
typically one of two major moving parts of a drive, with the other
moving part being the spindle and disks, referred to as the
"disk-stack." There may be other contributors to the remaining
runout for the R/W heads that is not common to that suffered by the
reference head. Typically, these contributors will be relatively
small.
[0070] FIG. 4 shows an example of a pattern wherein the remaining
runout is dominated by non-synchronous runout suffered by the
reference head. For the sake of simplicity, erase bands will be
ignored as they do not significantly impact the discussion of
various embodiments. In FIG. 4, during the servowriting step in
which the A-bursts were written, the writer was approximately on
track, such that the upper edges of the A-bursts are in
approximately the correct location. The dotted line shows the path
of the upper edge of the write element of the head during the next
servowriting step, in which the A-bursts are trimmed and the
B-bursts are written. Notice that the misplacement of the head
during the second servowriting step results in position errors for
the lower edges of the majority of the A-bursts and the upper edges
of the majority of the B-bursts. This can cause a subsequent read
or write operation on the track defined by these bursts to misread
data, as the head will be off track, or misplaced, during much of
the read or write operation.
[0071] While the final servo wedges (reference 202 in FIG. 2) are
being written for each head, the position measurements from the
reference head, or a servo position signal, can indicate
approximately how much each head is misplaced with respect to track
center. For example, looking at FIG. 1, a signal from the head 104
reading the reference pattern can be passed as servo data through
the read/write channel 114 to the disk controller 118, and passed
on to the microprocessor 120, which can send commands to the VCM
driver 108, in order to attempt to move the head back into position
relative to the track. The measured PES can also be analyzed and
used to determine whether the write element should write and/or
trim servo information. The position measurements from the
reference pattern will probably be non-zero, primarily due to
imperfect control of the servo position of the reference head, and
can be used to determine whether servo information should be
written and/or trimmed. The PES can be used to determine or predict
if a location of to-be-written servo information will be within
specified limits. If the location is not within specified limits,
writing of servo information can be disabled. The PES can also be
used to determine if a location of the write element (actual or
predicted) is within specified limits for performing trim
operations on any previously written servo information. Any number
of parameters can be used to determine if a servowriting operation
should proceed, including a position of the write element, a
predicted position of the write element, or a predicted position of
to-be-written and/or trimmed servo information.
[0072] An exemplary method that can be used to account for the
actual path of a write element during a revolution of a disk during
a servowriting pass is shown in the diagram of FIG. 5. A
servowriting step can include one or multiple servowriting passes
and each track of a disk can be defined by one or multiple
servowriting steps. For example, in some embodiments a servowriting
step can include one pass for writing and trimming servo
information. In other embodiments, a servowriting step can include
a first pass for writing servo information and a second pass for
trimming servo information. As will be described below in
accordance with some embodiments, the servo information to be
written and/or trimmed during a pass of a servowriting step may be
written and/or trimmed in one or multiple revolutions of the disk.
A pass need not include an integer number of revolutions of the
disk. Passes or steps can be completed at any point during a
revolution of the disk and passes or steps can begin at any point
during a revolution of the disk.
[0073] Using servo position information, it is possible to
determine the position of the head with respect to a track
centerline or other reference position. Using an interpolation
algorithm or state-space control methods, it is also possible to
determine a predicted position of the head when servo information
is actually written or trimmed or a predicted location of
to-be-written or to-be-trimmed servo information, as there will
likely be some radial variation between the time that the reference
pattern is read and the time that the servo information is written
and/or trimmed. When writing servo information, the actual writing
of the final servo information onto a disk does not occur
simultaneously with the reading of the reference data, as it is
necessary to read the information before it can be re-written. As
such, there will be a delay in time between the reading and writing
of the information. Because of this delay in time, the radial
position of the head at the time of writing will not be exactly
where it was when reading the servo information or when another
head was reading the servo information. It may then be necessary,
depending on the length of the delay and/or the variation of the
head path, to make at least one calculation to predict where the
head will be when the data is written. For example, a
state-estimator can be used to predict the position-error of the
reference head at the time of writing from the estimated state
variables at the time of the most recent sample, such as by using
standard state-space techniques. Such techniques can take into
account, for example, the radial velocity and direction of the R/W
head and the rotation speed of the disk.
[0074] For convenience, the remainder of this example will be
discussed in terms of the location or position of the head,
although it will be understood that other parameters such as a
predicted location of to-be-written and/or trimmed servo
information can be used. It will also be understood that any
portion of the head, including a write element coupled with the
head, can be used as a reference for determining distances. A PES
may be used to determine, estimate, or predict a distance. It will
be understood that the systems and techniques described herein can
apply to both writing and trimming servo information and that
reference to one or the other does not imply that the other can not
be performed by or according to the system or technique.
[0075] Once the position of the head is known, it is possible to
determine the distance between a desired location of to-be-written
servo information or to-be-trimmed servo information (or a desired
write or trim location) for a first servo wedge and a portion of
the head 510. The distance can be calculated in a number of ways,
such as from the edge of the to-be written or to-be-trimmed
information to the center of the write element or to the
appropriate edge of the write element. First is not intended to
imply any order for selecting a servo wedge as the first servo
wedge can be any randomly or otherwise chosen servo wedge on which
to begin the pass or revolution. For example, in one embodiment the
servo wedge on which to begin the pass is chosen so as to optimize
efficiency by beginning on a first wedge after servo positioning is
sufficiently settled and repeatable runout removal is complete
after a seek operation to the track to be servowritten.
[0076] The distance determined in step 510 can be used to determine
whether servo information for the servo wedge should be written
and/or trimmed 520. The distance can be compared with a threshold
to determine whether or not to trim and/or write the servo
information. Various types of thresholds can be used. In one
embodiment, a threshold can be a distance from a desired location.
If a position of a write element is beyond a position defined by
this threshold distance or if a distance between a desired location
and an actual or predicted location of write element is greater
than this threshold distance, writing and/or trimming of servo
information can be disabled. In other embodiments, a threshold can
be a value of a position error signal. If the value of the PES
reaches or exceeds the threshold PES value, writing and/or trimming
of servo information can be disabled.
[0077] If the distance determined instep 510 is greater than the
threshold distance, the servo information for the wedge is not
written and/or trimmed 530. The threshold can also be defined such
that servo information is not written and/or trimmed if the
distance is equal to the threshold. In step 540, an indication is
written to memory that the servo information for the servo wedge
was not written and/or trimmed. The indication can be written to
any available memory including a buffer memory such as SRAM or DRAM
as shown in FIG. 1. If it is determined that the distance from step
510 is not greater than a threshold, the servo information for the
wedge can be written and/or trimmed 550.
[0078] In step 560, it is determined whether an attempt has been
made to write and/or trim servo information for all servo wedges
during the revolution of the servowriting pass. If writing and/or
trimming of servo information for all servo wedges has not been
attempted, servowriting advances to a next wedge 570 and the method
continues. If writing and/or trimming of servo information for all
servo wedges of the revolution has been attempted, the revolution
of the servowriting pass is complete. After a revolution is
complete, servowriting can proceed according to a method
illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, or 16, as will be discussed
herein.
[0079] The method illustrated in FIG. 5 allows the writing and/or
trimming of servo information for a servo wedge in a pass of a
servowriting step to be skipped or disabled when it is determined
that a head or element is not in an acceptable position for writing
and/or trimming servo information. By noting which servo wedges
have been written and/or trimmed and which have not, a servo wedge
for which the write element was not in an acceptable position to
write and/or trim can be skipped and the write and/or trim
attempted on a subsequent revolution. Additionally, those servo
wedges for which the write and/or trim was performed do not need to
be repeated. Although FIG. 5 illustrates writing to memory an
indication that servo information was not written and/or trimmed
for a particular wedge, it will be understood by those skilled in
the art that an indication that servo information for a particular
servo wedge was written and/or trimmed can be written in addition
to or in place of an indication that servo information was not
written and/or trimmed for a particular wedge.
[0080] In some embodiments in accordance with the present
invention, position-error information determined at a first
circumferential location can be used to determine whether to write
and/or trim servo information at a second circumferential location.
For example, a distance between a desired location of to-be-written
servo information or to-be-trimmed servo information for a first
servo wedge and a portion of a write element can be determined. If
the distance is greater than a threshold, writing and/or trimming
of servo information for a second servo wedge can be disabled. In
some embodiments, the second servo wedge can be a next consecutive
servo wedge following a servo wedge for which the distance is
determined. In other embodiments, the second servo wedge can be a
servo wedge a number of servo wedges, for example, 3, following the
servo wedge for which the distance is determined. Such embodiments
can be useful in applications where a time delay, and thus a
position delay of a write element, exists between determining
position information and disabling writing and/or trimming. It will
be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that due to
time delays in some embodiments, wedges on a target track or disk
may be written and/or trimmed during a time between reading servo
wedges on a reference track or disk.
[0081] Position-error information determined at a first
circumferential location can also be used to determine whether to
write and/or trim servo information at multiple circumferential
locations. For example, a distance between a desired location of
to-be-written servo information or to-be-trimmed servo information
for a first servo wedge and a portion of a write element can be
determined. If the distance is greater than a threshold, writing
and/or trimming of servo information for a number of servo wedges
can be disabled. For example, using position information determined
at a first servo wedge, writing and/or trimming of servo
information for the next 4 consecutive servo wedges encountered in
the servowriting pass can be disabled.
[0082] FIG. 6 illustrates a method that can be used to account for
the actual path of a write element when performing a servowriting
pass. The method can begin after a first revolution of a
servowriting pass as shown in FIG. 5. In step 610 it is determined
whether all servo information to be trimmed and/or written during
the servowriting pass has been written and/or trimmed. If all servo
information to-be-written and/or trimmed for each servo wedge
during the servowriting pass has been written and/or trimmed, it is
determined whether additional passes for the current servowriting
step need to be performed 620. If all passes for the servowriting
step have been performed, the servowriting step is complete and a
next step can begin or servowriting can be complete if all steps
have been completed 660. If additional passes for the servowriting
step are to be performed, the next pass of the servowriting step is
begun 630 and attempted according to the method illustrated in FIG.
5.
[0083] If all servo information to-be-written and/or trimmed for
each servo wedge during the servowriting pass has not been written
and/or trimmed, then the wedges for which servo information to be
written and/or trimmed during the pass has not been written and/or
trimmed are determined 640. After the wedges are determined, the
servo information for those wedges can be attempted to be written
and/or trimmed during a subsequent revolution according to the
method of FIG. 5 (step 650).
[0084] To the extent the method illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6
requires additional revolutions to write servo information,
additional time for servowriting can be required. Accordingly,
measures can be used to limit the number of revolutions. In the
method illustrated in FIG. 7, servo information is written and/or
trimmed unconditionally on a last revolution after a predetermined
number of revolutions of a servowriting pass. That is, after it is
determined that not all servo information to be written and/or
trimmed during the pass has been written and/or trimmed 610, the
number of revolutions can be compared to a predetermined number of
revolutions N (step 720). If the number of revolutions is not
greater than N, the wedges for which servo information
to-be-written and/or trimmed during the pass has not been written
and/or trimmed are determined 730. After the wedges are determined,
the servo information for those wedges can be attempted to be
written and/or trimmed during a subsequent revolution according to
the method of FIG. 5 (step 760).
[0085] If the number of revolutions is greater than N, the wedges
for which servo information to-be-written and/or trimmed during the
servowriting pass has not been written and/or trimmed can be
determined 740. The servo information to-be-written and/or trimmed
during the pass for those wedges can be written and/or trimmed
unconditionally during a next revolution 750. That is, writing
and/or trimming will not be disabled because the write element is
out of position.
[0086] FIG. 8 illustrates another exemplary method that can be used
to account for the actual path of a write element when performing a
servowriting pass. In one embodiment, the method can begin after a
first revolution of a servowriting pass has been completed
according to the method illustrated in FIG. 5. It is first
determined whether all servo information to-be-written and/or
trimmed during the servowriting pass has been written and/or
trimmed 610. If all servo information has been written and/or
trimmed, the method proceeds as previously discussed with regards
to FIG. 6. If not all servo information has been written and/or
trimmed, the wedges for which servo information to-be-written
and/or trimmed during the pass has not been written and/or trimmed
can be determined 820. The threshold(s) used to determine whether
servo information for a wedge should be written and/or trimmed can
then be increased 830. After increasing the threshold(s), the servo
information for the remaining wedges can be attempted to be written
and/or trimmed on a subsequent revolution according to the method
of FIG. 5 (step 840).
[0087] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
various schemes for increasing the threshold(s) can be used. In one
embodiment, one threshold is used for each wedge to be written
and/or trimmed during the servowriting pass. This threshold can
then be increased by a predetermined amount. In other embodiments
different thresholds are used for writing servo information for
individual wedges. In step 830, the threshold used for each of
these wedges can be increased by a predetermined amount that can be
different for each threshold or the same for each threshold.
[0088] Additionally, in some embodiments, the position error of the
write element observed during a previous revolution can be used to
determine an appropriate amount by which to increase the
threshold(s). An averaged position error magnitude of the write
element while trying to write and/or trim during a previous
revolution can be used to increase a single threshold or multiple
thresholds. Many other values such as the RMS of the position error
signal for example, can also be used to determine an amount by
which to increase the threshold. In other embodiments, an
individual position error of the write element observed while
attempting to write and/or trim servo information for an individual
wedge can be used to increase the threshold for that individual
wedge by an appropriate amount.
[0089] It will further be appreciated that the threshold(s) need
not be increased after every revolution or even after the first
revolution. For instance, a maximum number of revolutions could be
established, such as 3, for example. If all servo information to be
written and/or trimmed during a servowriting pass was not written
during the first three revolutions, the threshold(s) could be
increased. If all servo information was not written and/or trimmed
during the next 2 revolutions, the threshold(s) could be increased
again, etc.
[0090] In one embodiment in accordance with the present invention,
a characteristic of a track can be used to determine conditional
servowriting parameters. For example, the number of revolutions
allocated before increasing a threshold or writing unconditionally
is based upon the specific track(s) or burst boundaries that are
affected by the servo information to-be-written or trimmed during
the given pass. Such an embodiment can be a useful balance for
certain applications where an improvement in head or element
position control during write or trim operations is desired, but
the amount of extra time needed to take additional revolutions for
all servowriting passes or steps is determined to be unacceptable
or undesirable.
[0091] For example, a series of burst boundaries such as
A-burst/B-burst boundaries can be spaced circumferentially around a
disk to define a track centerline, which can be used during write
operations. Other burst boundaries spaced circumferentially around
a disk can be used for purposes such as reading and/or positioning,
but not for defining track centerlines. In one embodiment in
accordance with the present invention, extra revolutions are
allocated for trimming and/or writing servo information such as
bursts whose edges define track centerlines before increasing a
threshold. For example, 5 revolutions could be allocated to writing
servo information that includes burst(s) that will form boundaries
with other bursts to define track centerlines before increasing a
threshold. For all other servo information that does not include
bursts that will form boundaries with other bursts to define track
centerlines, 3 revolutions could be allocated before increasing a
threshold. The number of revolutions can vary by embodiment and can
be adjusted depending on the requirements for a particular
application.
[0092] Extra revolutions can also be allocated to writing and/or
trimming servo information that influences the positioning of the
head or element near system tracks or other important tracks. These
tracks can include tracks set aside for storing system information
such as defective sector information, WORF information, data zone
information, or other information needed to perform various drive
functions. In various applications, various tracks may be
considered more critical such that more accurate positioning of the
head near those tracks is desired. Extra revolutions for writing
the servo information for those tracks can also be allocated.
[0093] The methods illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 can also be used to
account for the actual path of a write element when performing
multiple passes of a servowriting step in embodiments where
individual passes are used for writing and trimming. For example,
the position-error of a write element while performing a trim of an
A-burst of a servo wedge can be used to establish an appropriate
threshold to be used while attempting to write a corresponding
B-burst.
[0094] Consider the diagram of an exemplary servo-burst pattern
being written over a progression of servowriting steps illustrated
in FIG. 9, and the flowchart illustrating the method performed in
writing and trimming the bursts shown in FIG. 10. For the sake of
simplicity, the following example only discusses writing and
trimming servo information for a single wedge and single burst
pair, although it will be understood that multiple wedges and
multiple servo bursts around the circumference of the disk can be
written and/or trimmed during each of the servowriting passes and
steps discussed herein. In a first servowriting step 1010, write
element 910 writes an A-burst. The A-burst can be written as part
of a servowriting pass performed in accordance with the methods
illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, although it need not be. In a second
servowriting step 1020, the write element writes a B-burst. The
B-burst can also be written as part of a servowriting pass
performed in accordance with the methods illustrated in FIGS. 5 and
6 although other techniques can be used. Several revolutions or
fractions thereof may have been completed before the write element
was in position to write the A-Burst and B-burst.
[0095] As shown in FIG. 9, when writing the B-burst, the upper edge
of the write element was displaced a distance 930 (towards the top
of the page as shown in the figure, or towards the OD of the disk)
from the nominal desired location 920 of the boundary between the
B-burst and the A-burst. Due to the displacement of the write
element, the value of the PES while writing the B-burst can be
non-zero. The value of the PES when writing the B-burst can be
determined in step 1030. In step 1040, the threshold or threshold
window used for trimming the A-burst can be adjusted.
[0096] To help compensate for the error in writing the B-burst, the
acceptable value of the PES or acceptable PES window while trimming
the A-burst can be adjusted. For example, assume that an acceptable
PES range or window of +10 to -10 units was being used. That is, a
first threshold of +10 units was being used for position-errors in
a first direction (e.g., towards the outer diameter of the disk)
and a second threshold of -10 units was being used for
position-errors in a second direction (e.g., towards the inner
diameter of the disk). Assume further that the PES while writing
the B-burst was +3 units, indicating a displacement towards the
outer diameter of the disk. In order to help compensate for the
displacement while writing the B-burst, the acceptable PES range
can be adjusted to +7 to -13 units, thus allowing less
position-error in the direction of the first displacement and more
position-error in the opposite direction of the first displacement.
This can re-center the range of acceptable position-error to
increase the probability that the position-error while trimming the
A-burst will offset the position-error while the B-burst was
written.
[0097] After adjusting the acceptable PES range, the A-burst can be
trimmed in step 1050 according to the methods illustrated in FIGS.
5 and 6. As shown in FIG. 9, the write element is displaced a
distance 950 while trimming the A-burst. In this example, the
averaged displacement of the write element while writing the
B-burst and trimming the A-burst can result in a burst boundary
approximately at the nominal desired location of the burst
boundary.
[0098] Although the B-burst was written prior to trimming the
A-burst in the foregoing example, it will be understood by those of
ordinary skill in the art that the principles will apply equally as
well to embodiments where the position-error is determined while
trimming a first burst and then used to adjust the threshold or
threshold window used while subsequently writing a corresponding
burst. It will further be understood that other types of thresholds
and threshold windows may be used in other embodiments. For
example, if a threshold distance is used, the threshold distance or
window of acceptable distances (displacements) for a write or trim
can be adjusted based upon a previously observed position-error
while performing a corresponding operation.
[0099] The use of thresholds to control the writing of servo
information for servo wedges can be extended through the use of
multiple thresholds for different directions of position-error.
Different thresholds can be used to inhibit writing or trimming
depending on the direction of displacement, relative to a desired
location, of the predicted position of to-be-written servo
information, the predicted position of to-be-trimmed servo
information, or the predicted or actual position of a write element
to be used in writing or trimming the to-be-written or
to-be-trimmed servo information.
[0100] FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate the progression of exemplary
servowriting processes that can benefit from embodiments in
accordance with the present invention. In the figures, the top of
the page corresponds to locations nearer to an outer diameter (OD)
of a disk while the bottom of the page corresponds to locations
nearer to an inner diameter (ID) of the disk and servowriting
propagation is assumed to be from OD to ID. In other embodiments,
propagation may be from ID to OD. Referring now to FIG. 11, write
element 1110 writes an A-burst during a first servowriting step
1160. In one embodiment, the A-burst can be written according to
the methods illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. During a first revolution
1170 of a first pass of a second servowriting step, write element
1110 trims the A-burst and writes a B-burst. When trimming the
A-burst and writing the B-burst, the upper edge of the write
element is positioned along line 1130, a distance 1150 from the
desired location 1120 of the boundary between the A-burst and
B-burst. The displacement of the writer, and thus the displacement
of the lower edge of the A-burst and the upper edge of the B-burst
is against the direction of propagation.
[0101] During a second revolution 1180 of the first pass of the
second servowriting step, the upper edge of write element 1150 is
positioned along line 1140, a distance 1160 towards the inner
diameter of the disk. The second trim/write revolution does not
affect the boundary between the A-burst and the B-burst, resulting
in a boundary at location 1130, rather than desired location
1120.
[0102] FIG. 11 illustrates the effects of a position-error in the
direction opposite to servowriting propagation. Since the error was
against the direction of propagation, it can not easily be
corrected during subsequent attempts at the current radial location
for the servowriting step. In order to correct the error in
placement of the bursts, the A-burst should either be erased and
then re-written or simply re-written, with the write element
positioned at the position used in performing the first
servowriting step. While it may be possible to correct the error in
trimming the A-burst by writing another portion of the same burst
across the distance 1150, incoherence may exist between the
portions, resulting in erroneous position information when the
burst is later demodulated. As the additional RRO that can be
introduced by writing multiple portions is undesirable, many drive
manufacturers will choose to reposition the write element, erase
the burst, and re-write it.
[0103] FIG. 12 illustrates the effects of a displacement of a write
element or location of servo information in the direction of
propagation. In a first servowriting step 1260, write element 1210
writes an A-burst. During a first revolution 1270 of a first pass
of a second servowriting step, write element 1210 trims the A-burst
and writes a B-burst. When trimming the A-burst and writing the
B-burst, an upper edge of the write element was positioned along
line 1230, a distance 1250 from the desired location 1220 of the
upper edge of the write element, or the desired location of the
boundary between the A-burst and B-burst. The displacement of the
writer, and thus the displacement of the lower edge of the A-burst
and the upper edge of the B-burst, is towards the inner diameter of
the disk (in the direction of propagation).
[0104] During a second revolution 1280 of the first pass of the
second servowriting step, an upper edge of write element 1210 is
positioned along the desired location 1220 of the boundary between
the A-burst and B-burst. In this revolution, write element 1210 is
able to trim the A-burst such that its lower edge is positioned
along the desired location 1220 of the boundary. Write element 1210
also re-writes the B-burst such that its upper edge is also
positioned along the desired location of the boundary 1220. In
another embodiment, the A-burst is trimmed and the B-burst erased
during the second revolution of the first pass of the second
servowriting step. The B-burst is then re-written during a third
revolution of the first pass of the second servowriting step.
[0105] As illustrated by FIGS. 11 and 12, displacements of written
or trimmed servo information opposite to the direction of
servowriting propagation are more difficult to correct. While
displacements in the direction of propagation can often be
corrected with the write element maintaining its approximate radial
position for the current servowriting step or pass, displacements
against the direction of progagation can necessitate repositioning
the write element. Accordingly, different thresholds for inhibiting
writing and/or trimming servo information can be used depending on
the direction of the mis-placement of the write element.
[0106] In one embodiment, a smaller threshold is used to inhibit
writing and/or trimming for position-errors opposite to the
direction of propagation. Writing and/or trimming of servo
information can be inhibited when a distance between a desired
location of to-be-written and/or trimmed servo information and a
position (actual or predicted) of the write element to be used in
writing and/or trimming the servo information (or a predicted
location of to-be-written and/or trimmed servo information) reaches
or exceeds a smaller threshold. For displacements in the direction
of propagation, a larger threshold can be used to inhibit writing
and/or trimming of servo information. If the distance between a
desired location of to-be-written and/or trimmed servo information
and a position of the write element to be used in writing and/or
trimming the servo information is less than the larger threshold,
the servo information can be written and/or trimmed. On subsequent
passes or revolutions over the wedge where the servo information
was written and/or trimmed, the servo information can be re-written
or re-trimmed if the write element is in a better position
(distance is smaller). If the write element is not in a better
position on subsequent passes or revolutions, the originally
written and/or trimmed servo information can be kept.
[0107] In some embodiments, multiple thresholds can be used during
servowriting to determine whether servo information for a servo
wedge should be written or trimmed, written and trimmed, or not
written or trimmed. For example, referring to FIG. 13, a first
threshold, T1, smaller than a second threshold, T2, can be used.
For each wedge for which servo information is to be written and
trimmed during a servowriting pass, a determination can be made as
to whether information should be trimmed and written, trimmed or
written, or neither trimmed nor written. For each wedge, a distance
between a desired location of to-be-written and/or trimmed servo
information and a position (actual or predicted) of the write
element to be used in writing and/or trimming the servo information
(or a predicted location of to-be-written and/or trimmed servo
information) can be determined in step 1310. If it is determined
that the distance is less than the smaller threshold T1 in step
1320, indicating that servo information will be written and/or
trimmed relatively close to a desired location, servo information
for the wedge can be written and trimmed during the revolution of
the pass in step 1330. That is, a first burst can be written and a
second burst trimmed during the revolution. An indication that the
servo information to be written and trimmed during the servowriting
step has been written and trimmed can be written to memory in step
1340. The wedge can then be excluded from further servowriting
operations during the servowriting step. In one embodiment, the
servo information can be re-written and trimmed in a later pass or
revolution over the wedge if the write element is in a better
position. In some embodiments, the servo information can only
easily be re-written and trimmed in a later pass or revolution if
the original direction of position-error was in the direction of
propagation.
[0108] If it is determined that the distance is greater than the
smaller threshold T1 but less than the larger threshold T2 in step
1350, either trimming or writing of servo information can take
place during the revolution in step 1360. If servo information to
be written has been written but servo information to be trimmed has
not been trimmed, then the to-be-trimmed servo information can be
trimmed. If servo information to be trimmed has been trimmed but
servo information to be written has not been written, then the
to-be-written servo information can be written. If neither trimming
nor writing has been completed, then either can be completed during
the pass. The operation not completed can be attempted during a
subsequent revolution or pass.
[0109] In step 1370, an indication that the servo information was
written or trimmed can be written to memory. If it is determined in
step 1380 that all wedges for the pass have been attempted, the
revolution is complete. If it is determined that all wedges have
not been attempted, the method can advance to the next wedge in
step 1390 and then repeat.
[0110] If it is determined that the distance is greater than the
larger threshold T2 in step 1350, neither writing and trimming or
writing or trimming will be done. Writing and/or trimming servo
information for the wedge can be attempted during a subsequent
revolution of the servowriting pass.
[0111] Individual passes for trimming and writing servo information
can reduce the NRRO that may be written into the servo wedge
because of the larger position-error of the write element. If the
mis-placement of the writer is due to non-synchronous disturbances,
then the mis-placement will likely not be the same for every pass
or revolution. For example, the misplacement of a lower edge of an
A-burst trimmed in a first pass should not be the same as the
misplacement of an upper edge of a corresponding B-burst written in
a second pass. The resulting line or centerline defined by the
boundary between the two bursts will be the average of the two
misplacements.
[0112] In one embodiment in accordance with the present invention,
the use of thresholds to determine whether to write and/or trim
servo information for a wedge during a revolution of a servowriting
pass can be combined with other servowriting techniques. Write
current variation, for example, can be used to reduce written in
runout when a position-error of the write element is relatively
small.
[0113] The measured position-error of a write element can be
analyzed and used to determine an appropriate write current command
which can be sent with write data to the current preamp 116, in
order to deliver a write current appropriate for the relative
position of a head writing servo information. The position
measurements from the reference pattern used for servowriting will
probably be non-zero, primarily due to imperfect control of the
servo position of the reference head, but can be used as a
reference for lookup and possible interpolation. A lookup can be
done using tables, in which head calibration information and
position information can be stored in memory in the hard drive, and
used to vary the write-current in order to account for
mis-placement of the reference head.
[0114] Referring to FIG. 14, a series of A-bursts can be written
during a first servowriting step. For the sake of simplicity, it is
assumed that all A-bursts are positioned correctly and extend below
the desired centerline, such that they can be trimmed during a
servowriting step that is performed with a correctly-positioned R/W
head. In some embodiments, it can be essential that the writer
width be at least a certain percentage of the overall track
spacing, such as for example 75%, in order to ensure that the
A-bursts extend below the desired centerline. The dotted line in
FIG. 14 shows the actual path of the upper edge of the write
element of the R/W head during the servowriting pass in which the
B-bursts are written. The patterned areas show the width of the
B-bursts without width variation.
[0115] Using the distance between the desired location of an edge
of a yet-to-be written servo burst and a write element, along with
calibration information stored in calibration tables, the amount
the write current should be adjusted in order to write a burst with
an upper edge along the track centerline can be determined. The
amount of write current can then be adjusted appropriately and used
to write the servo burst. As shown in FIG. 14, the write current
can be varied such that the upper edge of each B-burst is
approximately positioned along the desired centerline. The
magnitude of the variation shown in FIG. 14 is exaggerated for
purposes of clarity and understanding. Actual variation may only be
on the order of about 10% of the nominal data track spacing. It is
to be understood that practically the write current is adjusted
between an upper and lower limit determined by the writing
characteristics of the head. The upper limit exists when the write
current does not give a usably wider burst. The lower limit exists
when no usable burst can be written. As can be seen from FIG. 14, a
continually adjusting write current not only helps to ensure that
the B-bursts are written with the top edge approximately along the
desired centerline, but also can ensure that the bottom edge of
each A-burst is trimmed approximately along the centerline.
[0116] Referring now to FIG. 15, there is illustrated a method for
using write current variation in conjunction with thresholds when
writing servo information for individual wedges during a revolution
of a servowriting pass. A distance between a desired location of
to-be-written and/or trimmed servo information for a wedge and a
position (actual or predicted) of the write element to be used in
writing and/or trimming the servo information (or a predicted
location of to-be-written and/or trimmed servo information) can be
determined 1510. It is then determined if the distance is greater
than a first threshold, T1 (step 1520). If the distance is not
greater than T1, the servo information for the wedge can be written
and trimmed using write current variation, if necessary, to
compensate for the distance 1530. After writing and trimming the
servo information, an indication can be written to memory that the
servo information to-be-written and trimmed during the pass over
the wedge was written and trimmed 1540.
[0117] If the distance determined in step 1510 is greater than T1,
it is determined whether the distance is greater than a second
threshold, T2 (step 1550). If it is determined that the distance is
not greater than T2, servo information for the wedge can be written
or trimmed 1560. In one embodiment, write current variation can
also be used at this step to minimize the written in runout that
may be caused by writing or trimming servo information when the
head is positioned a distance from a desired location. An
indication can then be written to memory that servo information was
written or trimmed for the wedge 1570. The operation not performed
can be attempted during a subsequent revolution or pass.
[0118] If the distance is greater than T2, servo information is not
written or trimmed for the wedge during the revolution. In step
1580, it is determined whether all wedges to be written and/or
trimmed during the revolution have been attempted. If there are
remaining wedges to be attempted during the revolution, the method
can advance to a next wedge for which servo information is to be
written and/or trimmed 1590. The method can then repeat until
writing and/or trimming of servo information to be written and/or
trimmed for each wedge during the pass has been attempted.
[0119] In one embodiment, the threshold for using write current
variation is determined by the characteristics of the head or write
element. A threshold can be set to a value equal to the
position-error for which an adjusted write current is able to
compensate. In one embodiment, two thresholds are used depending on
the direction of the position-error of the write element. For
example, if a write element is capable of writing a burst 0.05
microns wider than the width of the head using an increased write
current, a threshold can be set to a value of 0.025 microns (since
the increased width will be in both directions of the width of the
head, the increased write current can only write a 0.025 micron
wider burst in one direction). This threshold can be used for a
first situation where an edge of the write element is positioned a
distance away from a desired edge of to-be-written or trimmed
information and the write element does not overlap the desired edge
of the to-be-written or to-be-trimmed information, as illustrated
by the third burst from the left in FIG. 14. A second threshold can
be used for a second situation where an edge of the write element
is positioned a distance away from a desired edge of to-be-written
or trimmed information and the write element does overlap the
desired edge of the to-be-written or to-be-trimmed information, as
illustrated by the first burst from the left in FIG. 14. This
second threshold can be set to a value equal to one half of the
decreased burst width the head is capable of writing using a
decreased write current.
[0120] Although embodiments described herein refer generally to
systems having a read/write head that can be used to write bursts
on rotating magnetic media, other embodiments of the invention can
take advantage of similar variation, such as variations in drive
current or drive voltage. For example, a laser writing information
to an optical media can be driven with variable power in order to
increase or decrease pit width in the media in order to reduce
track variation. Any media, or at least any rotating media, upon
which information is written, placed, or stored, may be able to
take advantage of embodiments of the invention, as variations in
optical, electrical, magnetic, mechanical, and other physical
systems can be made by varying a drive signal or other control in
order to reduce track misplacement.
[0121] Many features of the present invention can be performed
using hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof.
Consequently, features of the present invention may be implemented
using a control mechanism including one or more processors, a disk
controller, or servo controller within or associated with a disk
drive (e.g., disk drive 100). The control mechanism can include a
processor, disk controller, servo controller, or any combination
thereof. In addition, various software components can be integrated
with or within any of the processor, disk controller, or servo
controller.
[0122] Features of the present invention can be implemented in a
computer program product which is a storage medium (media) having
instructions stored thereon/in which can be used to program a
processing system to perform any of the features presented herein.
The storage medium can include, but is not limited to, any type of
disk including floppy disks, optical discs, DVD, CD-ROMs,
microdrive, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs,
DRAMs, VRAMs, flash memory devices, magnetic or optical cards,
nanosystems (including molecular memory ICs), or any type of media
or device suitable for storing instructions and/or data.
[0123] Stored on any one of the computer readable medium (media),
the present invention can include software for controlling both the
hardware of the general purpose/specialized computer,
microprocessor, or disk drive, and for enabling the computer or
microprocessor to interact with a human user or other mechanism
utilizing the results of the present invention. Such software
and/or firmware may include, but is not limited to, application
code, device drivers, operating systems, execution
environments/containers.
[0124] Features of the invention may also be implemented
exclusively or primarily in hardware using, for example, hardware
components such as application specific integrated circuits
(ASICs). Implementation of the hardware state machine so as to
perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons
skilled in the relevant art(s).
[0125] One embodiment may be implemented using a conventional
general purpose or a specialized digital computer or
microprocessor(s) programmed according to the teachings of the
present disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the
computer art. Appropriate software coding can readily be prepared
by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present
disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the software
art. The invention may also be implemented by the preparation of
integrated circuits or by interconnecting an appropriate network of
conventional component circuits, as will be readily apparent to
those skilled in the art.
[0126] It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art
that various methods and operations described herein can be
combined into additional methods and operations, all considered
within the scope of the present invention. For example, the concept
of multiple thresholds for different directions of position-error
of the write element can be combined with the concept of multiple
thresholds for determining whether to write and trim, write or
trim, or neither write nor trim. The direction of position-error
coupled with the amount of position-error can be used to determine
what operation to perform.
[0127] Although various embodiments of the present invention,
including exemplary and explanatory methods and operations, have
been described in terms of multiple discrete steps performed in
turn, the order of the descriptions should not necessarily be
construed as to imply that the embodiments are order dependent.
Where practicable for example, various operations can be performed
in alternative orders than those presented herein.
[0128] The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the
present invention has been provided for the purposes of
illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive
or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many
modifications and variations will be apparent to one of ordinary
skill in the relevant arts. The embodiments were chosen and
described in order to best explain the principles of the invention
and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in
the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and
with various modifications that are suited to the particular use
contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be
defined by the claims and their equivalence.
* * * * *